Baja Fish Tacos

Down in Baja, just south of the California–Mexico border, fried fish tacos are synonymous with street food in the coastal beach towns. We use tortillas every which way you (and we) can imagine. But would you ever think we’d pulverize fried tortilla chips in a blender until they’re like flour and then coat fish in it and fry it? It adds this incredible additional crunch and flavor to our Baja Fish Tacos. (You can also use this preparation on shrimp.) These tacos are topped with sweet-hot mango salsa and tangy spicy Tajín.

Makes 8 tacos

1 12-ounce bag tortilla chips

2 cups rice flour

2 cups buttermilk

1½ pounds fresh cod, cut into 2-inch pieces

Oil for frying

8 6-inch flour or corn tortillas

2 cups shredded green cabbage

¼ cup Chipotle Crema (this page)

1 cup Avocado Crema (this page)

½ cup store-bought mango salsa

1 tablespoon Tajín seasoning (see Trejo’s Tip, this page)

Bread and Fry the Fish In a food processor, finely grind the tortilla chips until they form a fine powder. In three separate bowls, place the rice flour, buttermilk, and ground tortilla chips. One piece at a time, dredge the fish in the flour first, shaking off the excess. Then dunk it in the buttermilk, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Lastly, dredge the fish through the ground tortilla chips, making sure to coat all sides. Set the fish aside on a plate or platter.

Fill a large deep pot halfway with oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F on an instant-read thermometer. Working in batches, gently lower a few pieces of fish into the hot oil. Fry, turning the fish occasionally, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the fish to a wire rack or to paper towels to drain. Let the oil come back up to 350°F before adding the next batch of fish.

Make the Tacos Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Stack the tortillas, wrap them in aluminum foil, place them in the oven, and let them warm until they’re fragrant and pliable, about 15 minutes.

Remove the tortillas from the oven. Unwrap the stack and line up the tortillas, assembly-line-style, on your work surface.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cabbage with the Chipotle Crema. Spread a line of Avocado Crema down the center of each tortilla. Place 2 pieces of fish on the Avocado Crema and then add a spoonful of mango salsa in between the pieces of fish. Garnish with the cabbage mixture. Sprinkle with Tajín and serve.

Master Recipe

We call this “blackened salmon” because it’s an homage to the old Cajun preparation in which a piece of fish is coated in so many spices, and so much pepper, that it looks black after a quick sear in a hot pan. The Cajuns used butter, which would char and burn a little. We like to do things a little healthier than that, so we skip the butter and push the chili powder. And while we do cook it over high heat, it doesn’t get very black—just seared in spots.

Serves 4

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1½-pound salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into four 6-inch strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, mix the chili powder, coriander, pepper, fennel, thyme, and salt. Toss the salmon pieces in the spices to coat them thoroughly on all sides, shaking off any excess.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it’s just smoking, about 3 minutes. Place the salmon in the skillet and cook until it is browned on the bottom and cooked halfway through (it should no longer be translucent on the bottom half), about 2 minutes. Turn the salmon over and cook until it is firm and no longer translucent at all, about 2 minutes more.

Serve the cooked salmon in any of our fish taco preparations or in a bowl.

Blackened Salmon Tacos

Cherry tomatoes taste supersweet when you pair them with the spicy salmon. Orange Crema (this page) cools everything down.

Makes 12 tacos

12 6-inch corn tortillas

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes, left whole

1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 1 ear)

½ cup Orange Crema (this page)

2 cups shredded green or red cabbage

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 recipe Blackened Salmon (this page), cut into 1-inch pieces

2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat until it is smoking, about 3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and the corn, and cook until the tomatoes are slightly blistered and the corn is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup of the Orange Crema with the cabbage and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the remaining ¼ cup Orange Crema among the tortillas, spreading it over the center of each one. Add the salmon in a straight line down the center, top with the tomato/corn mixture, and garnish with the cabbage slaw. Serve each taco with a lime wedge.

Blackened Salmon Bowls

Makes 4 bowls

2 cups Spanish Rice (this page), warmed

2 cups Basic Black Beans (this page), warmed

2 cups grilled corn (see this page)

1 cup Pico de Gallo (this page)

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

¼ cup Orange Crema (this page)

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

In each individual serving bowl, arrange evenly divided portions of the rice, beans, corn, Pico de Gallo, lettuce, and salmon in a clockwise pattern. Drizzle with the Orange Crema. Garnish with the onion and cilantro.